Footballguys view: Jones doesn't offer much as a receiver anymore--he never really did. However, he can help a team upgrade their return game as he's still a big play waiting to happen with the ball in his hands.

Footballguys view: Little has bounced around the league after coming out of North Carolina a few years ago. He's athletic but he drops too many passes and he's never played up to his potential. He might find the market cool for his services.

Footballguys view: A fourth-round pick by the Bengals in 2004, Geathers was a starter for most of his career up until last season. He was set to make $2.85 million in 2015, and now Geathers will be looking for a new home.

Footballguys view: That Cincinnati just being Cincinnati. For years, they have taken chances on players through the draft and free agency that have serious character concerns. Hardy is coming off a season that he spent on the Commissioner's Exempt List after domestic violence allegations came up before the start of the 2014 season. All charges were dropped in that case as the alleged victim did not want to testify against Hardy. Now, he's looking to restart his career as one of the top pass-rushers in the game but a possible (further) suspension could keep his price tag lower.

Cincinnati Bengals QB Andy Dalton and the passing game must improve, but offensive coordinator Hue Jackson took some of the blame for Dalton's struggles in 2014. 'I'll be the first to tell all of you that I don't think I did a good enough job of getting him to where I think he needs to be,' Jackson said. 'That's one of my biggest responsibilities in my mind this upcoming year. He played well at times. There were times where there was inconsistency, and I've got to get him over that hump.' Jackson knows Dalton must cut down on his turnovers, and the infusion of healthy receivers next year should help.

Footballguys view: Well the easy and snappy comeback would be 'great what explains the other years?' Dalton has struggled off and on for years and collapses as soon as it's time for the playoffs. That's not entirely a coordinator issue as it stands when you look beyond last season. Jackson may have hurt things in 2014, but there are larger concerns about what Dalton is capable or that have little to do with his offensive coordinator.

Free-agent DB Terence Newman (Bengals) may not have a spot with the Cincinnati Bengals next season, meaning the club may let him test free agency. Newman wants to continue his playing career, according to head coach Marvin Lewis.

Footballguys view: Newman's not the same player he used to be. The Bengals could be ready to move on, and there's likely a CB-needy team who could show interest.

Cincinnati Bengals WR Greg Little is not expected to be back with the team next season.

Footballguys view: Little has struggled to impress during his pro career. He's dangerous after the catch, but catching the ball consistently has been a struggle. We can't imagine too many teams excited about adding Little on the open market.

Cincinnati Bengals WR Marvin Jones (ankle) plans to be ready to go when team workouts commence in April. 'I've been surprised at the progress I've made in only going on my second week training and at the rate I'm going I'm sure I will be in game shape very soon,' Jones said.

Cincinnati Bengals TE Jermaine Gresham, a soon-to-be free agent, still has a place within the offense, according to offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. 'We have a way that we do things, and how we want to accomplish things,' Jackson said. 'Within what we asked him to do this year, he did some good things. There are some things he knows he needs to do to be better, and he will work at them to be better.'

Footballguys view: The Bengals won't go out of their way to bring Gresham back. However, if the price is right they'll make sure to extend a decent offer. If he returns, Gresham will once again be splitting time with Tyler Eifert.

Cincinnati Bengals QB Andy Dalton still has offensive coordinator Hue Jackson in his corner, despite Dalton's lackluster performance in 2014 and in the Pro Bowl.

Footballguys view: The Pro Bowl performance doesn't matter...but it certainly doesn't help his case. Dalton is one of those quarterbacks who is "just" good enough. He'll get you to the postseason, but he'll struggle once there. Rinse, repeat and you have the Bengals in a nutshell over the last four years. We're not expecting drastic changes in 2015.

Cincinnati Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict (knee) is recovering from microfracture surgery on his left knee, and the surgeon who operated on him is hoping that he will be at full strength in time for training camp. 'I don't see any reason, if this thing heals like we want and we think it will, why he won't be back like he was,' Dr. Neal ElAttrache said. 'Microfracture has a bad connotation, but there are plenty of guys who have come back and been able to play like before. But it's not really news when it works out.' Burfict is expected to heal rapidly since his knee was in good shape structurally.

Footballguys view: Knee injuries aren't a big deal anymore, but microfracture surgery always comes with added concerns. Burfict will be brought along slowly as he deals with this more serious surgery. He'll be on crutches for six weeks before he can start conditioning his knee, and he'll be able to run after three months.

Cincinnati Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict (knee) has had knee surgery, head coach Marvin Lewis confirmed Wednesday, Jan. 21. While there has been concern Burfict might have to begin the 2015 season on the physically-unable-to-perform (PUP) list and miss the first six weeks, Lewis said the plan is he'll be back for the season.

Cincinnati Bengals QB Andy Dalton has the support of his head coach Marvin Lewis. The head coach said Wednesday, Jan. 21, that he is happy with Dalton, and the club has no plans to bring in a backup quarterback to push Dalton. 'Fortunately, somehow I've got the right little thing on my shoulder that says, 'Don't get into a quarterback controversy',' Lewis said. 'That's worked for (QB Jon Kitna) to (QB Carson Palmer) to Andy. It's helped us have the success we've had and those guys have been good players, productive players. Even when they've left out of here they've been productive. It works.'

Footballguys view: Dalton can get you to the playoffs, but he doesn't win in the postseason. In order to take the next step, Dalton needs to get this problem fixed. Lewis is happy, but he knows Dalton must get better if the Bengals get back to the playoffs in 2015.

Cincinnati Bengals QB Andy Dalton is not expected to enter next season with competition at quarterback, as the Bengals are not expected to draft another quarterback this year. "He's our guy and we're not going to shy away from that," says offensive coordinator Hue Jackson of Dalton and quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese offers, "He was better with the intangibles this year and the ball was better coming out of his hand. You could see that right away when he came back from the last offseason." Jackson is a fan of backup QB Jason Campbell, and the team was impressed with young QB A.J. McCarron.

Footballguys view: Nobody should be surprised here. The Bengals don't make changes quickly, so don't expect them to pull the rip cord on Dalton very soon. He's getting them to the playoffs, so they'll be content with that for a little longer and hope he learns not to implode in the postseason. He wasn't great this year in postseason play, but he wasn't the reason they lost (well, not all of it) either.

Cincinnati Bengals CB Darqueze Dennard practiced well at the end of the year and showed improvement down the stretch, so he is expected to see more significant snaps going forward. He is likely to help in the nickel package as a slot corner or on the outside.

It appears impending free-agent CB Terence Newman is unlikely to return to the Cincinnati Bengals, according to beat writer Geoff Hobson, leaving CBs Dre Kirkpatrick and Adam Jones to battle for his starting job.

Cincinnati Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict (knee) is expected to be ready for training camp next season, according to defensive coordinator Paul Guenther.

Footballguys view: Burfict is still considering whether he will undergo surgery on his knee. He needs to decide soon so he can begin the recovery process. If Burfict is ready by the start of camp, the Bengals would be wise to ease him back into the lineup with an eye on him starting the regular-season opener in 2015.

Cincinnati Bengals QB Andy Dalton showed improvement this season and is expected to become a better quarterback next season, according to head coach Marvin Lewis. Lewis said he is glad that Dalton is on the team.

Footballguys view: Dalton's numbers took a massive dip this year as the team used a more run-heavy approach. We've seen Dalton be a good to very good regular season quarterback, but with the loss against the Colts on Sunday he's now 0-4 in his postseason career.

Footballguys view: Fantasy owners in super super deep dynasty leagues should be looking at Reese. The former Baylor wide receiver was a seventh-round pick by the San Diego Chargers in the 2015 NFL draft. He was incredibly productive in college, and Reese has incredible straight-line speed.

Cincinnati Bengals TE Tyler Eifert (elbow, shoulder) said he expects to be ready for the start of training camp.

Footballguys view: The Bengals are likely to be cautious with Eifert as he returns from this injury. We should see him eased in at the start of training camp. We'll know more as the summer camps get closer.

Cincinnati Bengals RB Jeremy Hill (ankle) injured his ankle in the team's wild-card playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, Jan. 4. Hill had 13 carries for 47 yards and a touchdown in the loss.

Footballguys view: There's a reason why Hill was so quiet in the second half against the Colts. The rookie had a fantastic year, and he's certainly going to be in the conversation of first-round running backs for fantasy owners in 2015.

Cincinnati Bengals QB Andy Dalton has thrown one touchdown and six interceptions in three postseason starts.

Footballguys view: The postseason has not been kind for Dalton. He's 0-3 in three tries so far, and on Sunday he's getting a 4th shot. Against the Colts, we should see the Bengals take the ball out of Dalton's hands so they can feature the ground game. Expect Jeremy Hill and Gio Bernard to handle the ball most of the time for the Bengals--especially since they're playing without WR A.J. Green.

Footballguys view: Bad news for the Bengals here. The team will lean on their ground game, and that means plenty of Jeremy Hill and Gio Bernard. Without Green, we'll see Mohammed Sanu with a larger role.